


Clint's Candor

by Westpass



Series: Steve Gets Schooled [6]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 20:29:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17608406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Westpass/pseuds/Westpass





	Clint's Candor

After an uneventful supper, Clint surprised Steve by inviting him to go for a run. 

He accepted. Clint kept pace well, as they jogged through Central Park. 

They paused for a bit after a couple of miles. "SHIELD training, " Clint explained. "Part of the physical education was being able to run a mile in ten minutes. I think NYPD's police academy has the same requirement." 

"Basic training had us doing a lot of runs too. I loved it. I was asthmatic before the serum, and being able to do that at all..."

"Yeah, I can imagine. Like going from deafness to normal hearing, for me, when..." Clint tapped the side of his head. "I couldn't afford hearing aids for a long time. They're not cheap. But when Coulson caught on that I had problems, he insisted. SHIELD picked up the tab."

He sat on a park bench, looking up at Steve with dark eyes. "I still miss him."

"I'm sorry," Steve said, and meant it. A thought struck him--and then came back and smacked him upside the head, for good measure. " _Oh._ Were you two--"

 

"No. SHIELD was never as anal about 'fraternization' as other agencies, so long as everyone involved _agreed_ to what went on. But no. It was just...He gave me a chance nobody else would. I was a small-time crook. A thief and a thug. Other than my knack with a bow, I wasn't anything special. At least that was what everyone else kept telling me."

"I'm glad he didn't listen, then. Glad you're part of the team." 

":You may say differently in a minute," Clint warned him. 

"Hm?" 

"We've been talking. The whole team. I drew the short straw for telling you about it." 

"And?"

"Steve, you have a lot to offer. Nobody denied that. But you also need to get your head out of your ass where modern 'morals' and lifestyles are concerned. It's not a formality.  
People need to be able to trust us to treat them fairly, and they're not sure about you."

Steve scowled. "I'm trying--"

"No. Do or do not. There is no try."


End file.
